Not Quite a Macro Monday

 This is a photo of a butterfly ( a Blue Morpho ) at The Butterfly Place, Westford, MA.  It was a favorite place for me & my Mom to go near where she lived.  Decided to crop & enhance a little...

Used  the Lomo feature in Picnik--you don't notice quite so much that it's perched on someone's arm!

Surprise Cupcakes-recipe at the end

This recipe has been around for years ( I think I've been making these for at least 40 years!) but I tried something different with it this time.  Usually it's made with a chocolate cake mix, but decided to try it with red velvet. ( yes, I know red velvet is really just chocolate with red coloring!).  So you make the cake mix according to the package instructions,  The in a separate bowl mix together sugar,  egg & cream cheese.

It makes however many the cake mix says--usually about 2 dozen.

Experimented taking photos of the batter--this was the one I liked the best ( enhanced with HDR at Picnik)  Add chocolate chips to the cream cheese mixture & drop the filling  onto each cupcake.

Bake according to cake mix directions.  They are delicious warm, right out of the oven, but I put cream cheese frosting on the ones I was taking to a party.

Here's what one looks like on the inside!

Surprise Cupcakes

1 (2 layer ) cake mix--chocolate or whatever kind you want to use--without pudding preferable
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 egg

Mix cake according to package directions.  In a separate bowl cream together the cream cheese and sugar.  Beat in the egg and then fold in the chocolate chips.  Fill the cupcake tins 1/2 full with cake batter, then top with 1 rounded teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.  Bake according to cake mix directions.  Frost as desired.  Makes 24-30 cupcakes.